


Be Patient With My Love

by write4life_13



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29472636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/write4life_13/pseuds/write4life_13
Summary: Matt and Sylvie try to navigate their new dynamic at work and in each other’s life without longing for the other...safe to say it hasn’t been easy. Casey and Brett get advice from unlikely sources and what happens when they are forced to talk? Maybe more Idk... started writing this before 904 and got inspiration from the plot of  905.This could be multi-chap if you guys like it so much. Please enjoy a fic without Greg or Sydney lolThe title is taken from a song by Lady A
Relationships: Blake Gallo/Gianna Mackey, Stella Kidd/Kelly Severide, Sylvie Brett & Gianna Mackey, Sylvie Brett & Stella Kidd, Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 79
Kudos: 128





	1. Back to my senses

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is my first ever fic and I was scared to post it for a while but this fandom has been supportive soo here goes nothing. I love to write but sometimes I get in my head that no one will like my work. I didn't mean it to be but this fic is dialogue-heavy and I'm trying to work on that. Sorry for any typos.
> 
> Anyways... enjoy :)

Matt was awake before his alarm, staring at his ceiling for the second time that week. The first being after the shift where his talk with Sylvie went less than ideal.   
He could understand why she wanted space; she’d been through a lot this past year, and if he was honest, he was proud of her for putting her needs first and being sure of what she wants. If only he could figure out a way to express what he wanted without bumbling like an idiot. 

He sighed as he turned off the ignition to his truck and stared at the tan and red brick building. It used to be the place he never hesitated to enter and greet his other family that he just saw last shift or at Molly’s. Everything was changing around him.

This feeling will go away soon, it just needs a little time.

He made a beeline for the locker room to put away his bag and then to the coffee maker before the first of the morning was emptied, most likely by Capp. 

“Good morning Captain.” Her voice brought him out of his thoughts and made him disappointed at the same time. She used his title and not his first name. He missed the way his name sounded when she said it. 

“Brett.” He replied in the same professional tone. “Coffee maker is all yours. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my quarters catching up on paperwork.” He relayed a little louder for the others in the common room to hear and received the collective “copy” in return. 

After Casey and Brett left the common room, Kidd caught Cruz staring her down like he was telepathically trying to get her attention, and somehow it worked.

“What?” Kidd asked with a confused look in her eye as she took a bite of her scrambled eggs.

“What is going on between Casey and Brett? They have been acting weird since 61’s accident.”

“Yeah, I noticed something too.” Hermann chimed.

“Oh, are you talking about that weird conversion at the end of shift after the accident? Casey did finger twirls and everything.” Mouch added not taking his eyes off of whatever was on the TV. 

Kidd stood up, “What Brett tells me is private and it will be her choice to tell everyone when she is ready.” 

The men groaned and went back to what they were doing before; seemingly putting an end to that conversation but wondered if they should press their colleagues for more but the bells rang out for an all respond somewhere near Racine. 

When they pulled up, it was a sight to see. There were two cars involved; a small sedan pinned against a pole and a maroon van that was upside down.“Let’s be diligent everyone, these vehicles could flash over any minute. Hermann and Ritter charge a line and get ready to cover just in case. The rest of 51 help 81 and squad 3 extricating the victims.” Casey ordered.

“Alright people, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go” Boden boomed. “61 get ready for triage”

After all the orders were given out, the firefighters got to work. Brett and Mackey aided in any way they could. 

“Brett we need you!” Cruz called out from where he stood near the maroon van. “Bring a C-collar.”

After she pointed Mackey to go aide Severide with the victim in the sedan, she ran to where Cruz was working. “What do we have?”

“Driver was unconscious but recently came to. We’re working on cutting the driver side door so go to the passenger side and try to keep her calm.”

Sylvie rushed to the other side and crawled her way through what was the window. She cursed under her breath when a shard of glass cut into her arm but she had to keep going.“Hi, I’m Sylvie, what’s your name?” She asked while strapping the collar around her neck. 

“J-Jenna,” she stuttered. 

“Ok Jenna, we’ve got the best firefighters working to get you out.”

“No, where’s Jenna?” Her voice filled with panic and she started to scan the car. “She’s two!”

“Cruz! We have another victim in the car. How’s the extraction coming?”

“3 minutes,” he yelled back.

Sylvie craned her neck to the backseat where she spotted the car seat still strapped in.“I’ve got eyes on the baby! I’m gonna get her out!”

“Be careful Brett!”

Crunching more glass underneath her, this time making a path in front of her to crawl through. She reached the car seat and checked Jenna’s pulse.

Strong and steady. Thank God. 

Without moving the baby too much, she unhooked the straps and then held the child as she made her way back to the front of the car. “I need a handoff!” She raised the baby for Cruz to take and watched as he passed her to Mackey. 

“Jenna’s okay. How are you doing?” 

“Feel woozy.”

“Cruz, what’s the status?”

“Getting ready to cut, blanket and glasses coming your way.”

A minute and a half later they were loading Jenna and her mom named Sasha into the rig. Brett tried to take care of her cut before anyone noticed but she was too late. 

“What happened?” Casey asked with concern.

“Didn’t see a piece of glass sticking out and it got me good,” Brett replied, holding a gauze with one hand and wrapping it with the other. “It’s not deep and it doesn’t even need stitches.”

“You should still get it looked at. There could be some debris in there from the car.”

“Thank you for your concern Captain, but I trust my medical assessment.”She tucked the gauze into her wrapping hoping it would stay secure for the rest of the shift.

“And I’m not doubting it but please Sylvie...for me.” She knew there was no point in arguing with him and she wasn’t going to with the look he was giving her and that stupid tone he said “for me” in. 

“I will have Maggie look at it when we get to Med.” She turned to Mackey as she was shutting the doors to the ambo in front of her. “We gotta get going.”

He mouthed the words thank you to her as she got into the driver’s side and drove away. 

When they got back to the house, Brett was restocking the ambo when Cruz came up behind her.

“Geez Cruz you scared me.”

“Sorry. Um, I just wanted you to know that although we aren’t roommates anymore, you’ll always be my roomdog so if you ever want to talk about anything…” Cruz trailed off.

“Anything like what?” 

“Like what’s going on with you and Casey?”

“Wh-what do you mean me and Casey. We’re just friends.”

“Roomdogs don’t lie to each other Sylvie and you’re also a terrible liar.”

“Okay, fine.” She pulled Cruz’s arm to the other side of the ambo where at least she could be away from the prying eyes of squad. “Casey and I kissed, then I asked what’d he do if Gabby came back and he said he didn’t know so I kicked him out of my apartment and then he said that his feelings for me are real, but he said regardless of Gabby. I told him what happened in my apartment can’t happen again and that is that.”

“I’m sorry Sylvie. We all thought he’d be over her by now. She didn’t leave just him; she left all of us.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to be a placeholder or anything like that so I just want to forget about it and try to move on.” She said the last part a little stronger not only trying to convince Cruz but also herself that she can move on from picturing a relationship with Casey. She was foolish to even think otherwise. 

“Good for you," Cruz said but there was a tone in his voice that made her wonder if he was only saying that to make her feel better. "If Casey can’t get his act together then he doesn’t deserve you. Well, you’re welcome over at Chloe and I’s place anytime, and if you need someone to knock some sense into Casey let me know...preferably off shift so I don’t get a conduct unbecoming charge.”

Sylvie laughed at that last remark. “Thanks Joe, but I think Stella already has dibs.”  
**************  
Matt was in his office trying but failing, to finish a stack of paperwork when Kylie knocked and said that Boden wanted to see him. 

“Ah, Casey come in.” Boden circled him and shut the door himself.

“Did I do something wrong Chief?”

“No, I just realized that I haven’t checked up on you in a while. How are you doing?” Chief Boden motioned for him to sit.

“Good.”

“Good?” Boden repeated back. “Now I’m not much for gossip but I do know what’s going on in my firehouse and my captain jumping out of a moving fire truck happens to be one of the rumors.”

Dammit, Gallo!

“Which is funny because that doesn’t appear in the after-action report from 61’s crash.”

“Well, you know, two of our own were in danger, and instinct kicked in. While it may have been extreme-”

“If you mean extremely dangerous and reckless then I concur,” Boden interjected. “I have been around Severide and Kidd long enough to know that’s what one of them would have done for the other. Now I have to question why- is it because of Brett?”

Crap! Did the Chief just figure him out? Has he been that obvious? “What do you mean because of Brett?” He stared back and shifted in his seat. 

“Casey I have known you for a long time and all I’m going to say is that I haven’t seen you this happy in a while.” 

But he screwed it up. She kissed him and it was going well until she asked about Gabby and he froze. Now she wants space and says that what happened that night can’t happen again. How is he supposed to accept that when all he wants to do is hold her in his arms?

“Casey. Earth to Casey.” Boden snapped him back to reality. “You alright?”

“Yeah, umm, thanks for the chat Chief.”  
*******************  
It was the next day when Sylvie made her weekly grocery run for Mr. Larson and Dusty. She started checking in on him from the safety of his porch when the pandemic started to get worse. Sometimes when she and Mackey are on their way back to the house, she’ll stop, say hi, and ask if he needs anything. She even introduced him to Mackey and without going into too much detail, that started with M and ended with Casey, she told her about the call. 

“Good morning Mr. Larson.” She smiled under her mask as she placed the paper brown bags near his screen door. 

“Sylvie, I keep saying that you don’t need to keep doing this for us. You have done enough.”

“Nonsense, besides seeing you is the best part of my days off.”

“Don’t you have other plans though? What about the other fireman who helped me last year- you two made a lovely couple.” 

“Oh, Matt- I mean Casey. We’re not a couple. Just friends and coworkers” 

Sylvie hated to lie to Mr. Larson but this lie was better than explaining everything that had happened in the time since she first met him. From Julie to the crash and the kiss, he didn’t need to hear her problems. 

“That’s a shame. You two reminded me of my wife and me when we were young. I fell in love with her after my friend broke her heart.”

That last sentence almost made Sylvie choke on her saliva. “Oh,” she managed to get out.

“We knew that if we were to get into a relationship that it was going to be hard and messy and make us take a risk, but don’t all good things in life come with risk and then eventually a reward? The love that we shared in our marriage and the life we built together was the biggest one of all.” 

“How did you know Cynthia wouldn’t go back to your friend if he showed up again?” She rambled all the questions that had been weighing on her since she decided to let herself explore these feelings for Matt Casey. “Didn’t the history they had make you seem like pursuing a relationship was wrong or feel like you were betraying your friend?”

“I realized that we can’t decide who we fall in love with and the more that I bottled my feelings for her the more it hurt me. If my friend were truly my friend, he would be happy for us, and if we were happy, then nothing else should matter. And while they did have their history, she told me one night that she was grateful for the time they had together because she grew as a person and it helped her see that she would always love him for it. She said she would choose me.”

“And you took her word for it?” 

“Why wouldn’t I, she never lied to me when we were friends, why would she when we started to date?”

“Thank you for the talk, Mr. Larson. Give Dusty a treat from me and I’ll be back next week. Bye.”

“See you later, Sylvie.”  
*************  
Sylvie spent the rest of that night thinking about Mr. Lason’s words. Pacing her apartment floor while asking herself a million questions. 

When exactly did she start having feelings for Casey? When did he start having feelings for her? 

The first one was easy to answer. Before the factory fire, she tried to set Matt up with Olivia and during that night she found out how similar they were to each other. She shouldn’t have been that shocked when Olivia said that they were meant for each other and that’s when she started to let herself explore what it would be like to love Matt Casey. Then Kyle proposed, the factory fire, and by the time she came back something had changed. It didn’t feel like it did before until everything with Mr. Larson, and then Julie and her death changed the way she saw him for real and without anyone else saying they were meant to be this time. 

The second one was a lot harder since Matt Casey was the very definition of a closed-off per-

A crack of thunder jolted her from her thoughts and the rain pelted against her window. She knew if she wanted the answer to the second question, she would have to go straight to the source. 

SB: Hey, Stella. Is Matt at Molly’s?  
SK: No, he and Kelly wanted a bro’s night in.  
SB: Thanks.<3

Sylvie was tired of overthinking so she grabbed her car keys and her striped umbrella and drove herself to Matt’s apartment. 

By the time that she got to his apartment the overthinking had started up again as she raised her first to knock- nothing happened and she stood there frozen as the door she was standing in front of swung open.

“Matt!” She said startled. She wasn’t loud coming down the hall or dared to knock, yet, so how did he know she was there?  
************

15 minutes earlier 

“God Sev, I mess up everything don’t I?”

“What?” Severide said, keeping an eye on an old Cubs game.

“Will you just listen to me for a minute please?” 

“Okay,” he turned off the game and put his beer on the table signaling to Matt that he had his full attention.

“Thank you,” Matt sighed. “I told Sylvie last week that my feelings for her are real and then my dumbass decided to add “regardless of Gabby” to the end of it because that was true for me but I guess it wasn’t for her because she responded with “there is no regardless of Gabby” and now she wants whatever happened between us to be a one-time thing and that it could never happen again. I hate being good at letting go and moving on.”

“Well you also told me that Brett has been the only one on your mind and Gabby isn’t an issue for you.”

“And she isn’t but I keep playing Sylvie’s question in my head on a loop trying to decipher some hidden meaning that I didn’t see.”

“Casey put yourself in her shoes. As someone who also watched the “epic love story of Dawson and Casey” unfold. From as much as you’ve told me about the question, she asked if Dawson came back and asked you to leave with her. Did you ever consider that Dawson could come back to Chicago for good? She came back for a few days and you were falling into bed with her, what if you were in a relationship with Sylvie and she came back again?” Severide walked toward the fridge to grab another beer. “Dude, I really can’t paint a bigger picture for you so I’m just gonna say it: Brett doesn’t want to be the placeholder for Dawson if she ever came back. You said that you were good at letting go and moving on then why can’t you see that from an outsider perspective you haven’t moved on from Dawson at least not fully. You haven’t been in a serious committed relationship since she left.”

“That’s the thing though, SHE LEFT. She forced me to let go of our marriage when she took the permanent position in Puerto Rico. I started to move on when we signed the divorce papers but then she came back and so did all the feelings for a night. It’s because of Sylvie that I’m not that broken person sliding into falling elevator shafts anymore and that’s not fair to her. She doesn’t deserve a person who wants her to pick up the broken pieces and potentially hurt her. I am more afraid that I’m going to hurt her than I am to love her. But I do, I think I love her” 

“Well, are you going to let her go then?”

“No, I’m not! I should have figured this out a while ago, but I am going to fight for her! Where’re my keys?” Matt lifted and moved around the papers on the island until he heard that familiar cling.

“Oh you’re going now- it’s pouring outside.”

But Casey didn’t hear him or didn’t care because he was already unlatching the door.

“Sylvie?” He half questioned with surprise in his voice as he stared at the figure in front of him with raindrop marks on her teal jacket. 

“This is a bad idea,” she quickly blurted out already halfway to the elevator where the doors were, by some fluke, still open. 

He was only a few steps behind her by the time she stepped into the elevator and the doors started to close so he sprinted and managed to squeeze himself between the doors. 

He was lucky too because she had already pushed the ground floor button and so when the doors closed there was no chance of her trying to kick him out. However, that luck quickly ran out when the lights flickered above them and the elevator shook to a stop. Matt realized that in all his haste to get to her, he left his phone on the kitchen table and he knew all too well that there was no signal inside this elevator. They were stuck with no way to communicate and no estimate on how long there were going to be in here. 

No better time to talk than now. Thanks, Universe.


	2. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt talk in the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much your comments mean to me. Thank you! 
> 
> Here's chapter 2, sorry for any typos. 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Sylvie leaned against the back wall of the elevator watching Matt try to pull apart the steel doors. “You’re gonna hurt yourself if you keep trying that. Someone will find us eventually or the power will turn back on.” She said sliding down the wall, tucking her knees to her chest. “Did you try the emergency button?” It was her fault they were in this elevator to begin with. If she hadn’t come in the middle of a thunderstorm she could be sipping wine in her living room with HGTV on and not stuck in an elevator with Matt Casey. 

“I tried a little while ago but there was no answer.” He pushed the red button again only this time a voice came over the elevator.

“Hello, how can I help?” the voice echoed.

“Hi, yes!” Matt made the mistake of looking back at Sylvie where she was giving a very pointed I-told-you-so look. “This is Captain Matt Casey with the CFD and we’re stuck in the elevator.”

“Okay, we have reports of outages all over the city so it might be a while before the power gets turned on in this section. Hold tight and we’ll get you out as soon as we can.” 

After a collective thank you from both of them to the voice, there was a long pause of silence before Matt decided to fill the void with a little bit of small talk. 

“Do you remember the last time a thunderstorm like this blew through Chicago?” Matt asked, sitting on the opposite side of the elevator. 

Sylvie let a little laugh slip as the memories of that shift came back from the little boy in the turnout room to the gun-wielding fake firefighter. “Severide pushing that guy with a gun against the hood of the ambo was most memorable.” She responded. 

“What can we say: we’re gun magnets.” 

“I think I’m on number 7 for the times I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun. I think… I’ve lost count.” Sylvie let slip and Matt’s eyes went wide and she knew that he would start grilling her with questions if she didn’t say something reassuring. “But hey, I’m still here aren’t I?” 

Matt seemed to calm a little but Sylvie had a feeling that he wasn’t going to let it go.“Besides that fake firefighter, I’d say it was one of my favorite days. Do you know why?” 

“No? Why?” Sylvie asked puzzled.

“Because that was the day that I saw you, Sylvie Brett, as something that could potentially be more than a friend to me,” Matt angled his body to face her. “The way you were with Logan and how you were the one who helped him through the most terrifying night of his life. I didn’t see you as Gabby’s best friend, no, I saw you as someone who I knew I always wanted in my life. You light up any room you walk into and you make everyone around you better by just being yourself. You’re compassionate and when you need to be, you’re fierce. You go to bat for your patients even if the rules say that it all ends when the call ends. You realized that about me when we were staying at Firehouse 20. What did you say, oh yeah, “You’re a little extra that way.” He sent her a smirk hoping she remembers that night sitting on truck 20’s bumper. “You’re the best damn paramedic in the entire CFD and those things are just the start,” he had to say it, there was no turning back now, “of why I love you.” 

Oh, crap. Sylvie thought as she stared blankly into his blue eyes. How in the hell did he know that was exactly what she wanted to hear him say?

“I will always appreciate Gabby for the time we had together but I’m not the same person I was then. This person sitting in front of you today is asking you to forgive him for taking this long to figure some of it out and for being an idiot at times. This person loves being your friend and is willing to wait and be patient for a time when there could be a possibility of more. I know this is a lot of information all at once but I wanted to get it out now before I sike myself out. I wouldn’t leave with Gabby if she asked, not when you have been the only one on my mind for a long time.”

The conversation she had with Mr. Larson comes to mind when he finishes. She wants to believe him but what if she’s not there yet. He says he’d be willing to wait but for how long? “You know we never took that anywhere in the world trip you talked about. We can still get a group together next furlough and pray for someplace warm.” She attempts to change the subject. “And dry.”

“Yeah, or it could just be the two of us.”

She walked right into that one didn’t she but she had to admit that was smooth, Matt Casey.   
*****************  
They sat in a long silence again now that Matt had told her everything he’s been wanting to say. He was proud of himself for it and for not bumbling like he has in the past. It only took being trapped in an elevator. 

“It’s all my fault.” Sylvie blurted out. 

“You didn’t know that the elevator was gonna stall if the building lost power.” He joked.

“Not that Casey.” 

“Okay, then what? Talk to me.” He could hear the seriousness of her voice and made she knew that she had his full attention by giving her what she called his solemn Matt Casey look. 

Sylvie sighed heavily and angled her body toward the wall Matt was sitting against.“You said I was the best paramedic in the CFD but what kind of paramedic gets her partner hurt on her second shift or tells her to run into an active call without knowing the surroundings or having any backup. Mackey could have been seriously hurt if it wasn’t for Gallo all because of a decision I made. That makes me the worst partner.” 

“Hey! That can’t be farther from the truth,” Matt was facing her now. “What was it that you said to me when I thought that women drowned last year?”

“You weighed the variables and made a decision, that’s what makes you a good Captain; the fact that you beat yourself up about it afterward is what makes you a good person,” Sylvie responded remembering their conversation on her bed in the bunkroom and showing him the pictures Julie gave her. Julie. She let a tear escape when she remembered the morning Julie and she had together and the fact that it was all taken away from her and her sister too soon.

“Exactly. Those were your words, so you can’t beat yourself up when you didn’t know that Halleck was gonna run you guys off the road. You were also assessing multiple victims at the construction call as the first PIC on the scene so you made the best decision for the patient that still needed help.”

“I hate it when you use my words against me, Matt Casey.” She leaned her head back against the wall still wondering how she got into this mess. Either there’s some toxic gas in the elevator that’s making her want to spill all of her deepest feelings or it's the unbearable silence if she doesn’t. 

“Well then stop saying such inspirational words at moments I need them and maybe I won’t.”

“Ah, but I feel like if I stopped you might do reckless things again like say, jump out of a moving fire truck.”

“You’re never gonna let that go are you?” He smiled that smile that makes her stomach do summersaults.

“Not a chance.” She pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling back.

“Well, I’m never going to apologize for wanting to make sure the woman I love was alive.”

“Matt… there are still things that we both need to work through and I don’t expect you to wait. I still want to be a part of your life and always will, but I would like us to take it one step at a time. At least for now. I jumped into too many relationships in my life and this one means the most to me and I want to make sure that it’s what both of us want.” She scooted towards the middle.

“For now sounds perfect. And Sylvie,” she looked up. “This relationship means the world to me and so I want you to know that I’m willing to fight for it. For us.” He copied her movement until they were side by side with their backs against the wall, close enough for their legs to graze the other’s.

Sylvie glanced at her watch to be met with the numbers 11:30 p.m. staring back at her; she didn’t think much about it, but the exhaustion from the events of the day had finally caught up to her, so she laid her head on Matt’s shoulder. After a moment she felt the weight of his head on hers and they drifted to sleep. 

Barely an hour later they felt the shake of the elevator cart that jolted them awake. Sylvie woke to find herself tucked into Matt’s side laying on the floor instead of propped up against the wall. When they stood up, the lights flickered on and the cart smoothly started to descend to its original destination. 

“Looks like the power came on; must mean the worst part of the storm is over.” Matt relayed.

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m just ready to get home.” She yawned.

“It could still be nasty out there and I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch if you didn’t want to drive.”

The elevator gave that familiar ping much to Sylvie’s dismay as she wanted a little bit longer to consider Matt’s offer. “Thanks, Matt, but I’m okay to drive.”

“Okay just checking.” The doors started to close but he stuck his hand out. “Text me when you get home?”

She nodded in reply.“Goodnight Matt, thanks for being a good elevator buddy.” She stepped out of the box she’d been in for two and a half hours to be met with the cold chill of the apartment’s lobby. After giving him a soft smile she headed for the double glass doors.

“Goodnight Sylvie.”He watched as she exited his apartment building through the closing doors of the elevator. “It’s always been you too.”  
***********  
A sigh of relief came over Sylvie when she stepped into the comfort of her apartment. After throwing down her soggy umbrella next to the coat rack, she took out her phone and texted Casey like he asked.

SB: Made it home.  
MC: That’s good. Get some sleep and I’ll see you on shift tomorrow.

How was she supposed to face him after tonight? He told her everything she had wanted to hear since she kicked him out that night and she froze. She freaked out because the man she has feelings for finally communicated that to her and she what? Did nothing? She’s honestly not even sure where they stand anymore all she knows is three things. One, she needs to go to sleep. Two, she also needs to get up early enough to take a shower because she still smells like rain and it’s way too late to shower now. And three, she’s going to have to talk to Stella about tonight because she knew that her best friend would find out eventually.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow, she groaned, turning over in her bed and letting her heavy eyelids take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've caught a writing bug and I have all these ideas so don't worry there's going to be more coming! Thank you for reading!


	3. Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Kidd talk about the night in the elevator and more. Mackey has her first rough call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm dropping chapter 3 because why not also I decided not to add a chapter tomorrow because our shows will come on and I need time to process the angst that's coming. Enjoy the shows tomorrow!
> 
> Anyways here's chapter 3! :)

“So, how was your night with Casey?” Stella asked, appearing behind the open back door of the ambo.

“What do you mean?” Sylvie placed the last of the gauze into the container turning her attention to her best friend. What she really wanted to ask was how did she already know but she had her suspicions and he was a six-foot-two inches firefighter named Kelly Severide. 

“Kelly told me that you showed up at our place, then Casey ran after you but he didn’t come home until almost one in the morning.” And her suspicions were correct. She started to wonder if Stella and Severide used their pillow talk in the morning to talk about her then quickly shuddered trying to scrub that image from ever appearing in her head again. “So I thought... ”

“Oh! Stella!” she gasped, figuring out what she was implying was tempted to throw a roll of gauze at her. “This is so embarrassing and you can’t tell anyone, besides Severide because I know you will, but Casey and I got stuck in the elevator after the power went out. When it finally came back on, I went home.”

“So you were alone in an elevator with Casey for almost 2 hours and did what?”

“We talked.”Stella didn’t look satisfied with that answer so she took a seat on the back bumper, prepared to hear all about it.“Well I’m not gonna tell you all about it here- we’re at work. Tell you what, you come over with a good bottle of rosé and I will tell you everything. And we can celebrate Galentine's day!”

“Deal! As long as we don’t have to save a hockey team, I’m in. Get ready to spill the details, Brett.” Stella laughed walking back to the common room, passing Casey who was walking toward Brett. He made it a few feet before the bells sounded calling for just ambo 61. Not that Brett was complaining this time since she had no idea what she was going to say to him.

He smiled sheepishly as Mackey jumped into the passenger.“Hold what you were gonna say.” she got into the driver’s seat and drove off before he had a chance to respond.   
****************  
Brett and Mackey pulled up on the address where a girl who couldn’t be more than 7 years old was flagging them down.

“Hurry it’s my older brother!”

“What happened?” Brett asked.

“Dustin was gonna try to jump off the roof into the snow but he slipped. I think he hit his head. I tried looking but the snow over there is to my knees.” The little girl answered with tears welling in her eyes.

Mackey started to head over to where she pointed but stopped when she spotted a drop of red against the snow. “Brett, I think I got something.” 

After Brett told the little girl to stay put, she reached Mackey and started digging down. Between the two of them it only took a couple of minutes to reach the boy who was blue. Brett worked to uncover the rest of him from the snow while Mackey got the backboard. By the time they got him on the stretcher, wrapped in blankets, and the heart monitor hooked up; he was in v-tach. 

Mackey worked on him in the back with his sister while Brett drove as fast as possible to Chicago Med. However, by the time they got him to Med, he was too far gone. Will had told them that between the head injury and the amount of time he was under the snow, his heart went into failure and he died before they could get him to surgery.   
*************  
Brett and Mackey defeatedly walked into 51 and Mackey made a beeline for the locker room. She saw Cruz start to stand but held her hand up hoping that he’d get that she was gonna talk to her. Thankfully he did, and Brett followed Mackey’s path to the locker room. 

“Hey,” Brett said, walking in to see Mackey sitting on the bench. “Is it okay that I sit?” Mackey nodded.“You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to but I just need you to know that you can. I understand how hard it is when you lose your first patient.”

“Who was yours?” 

“Well we got this call to a building fire and a girl who was badly burned stumbled out. We later found out that the building was the site for an illegal sweatshop and this young woman squeezed herself through a locked door, called for help, and ended up saving around 15 other women like her but she succumbed to her injuries in the field. My partner then, Mills, told me what I told you on your first fire: “focus on the living and the ones you can help.”

“How did you deal with it?”

“There is no right or wrong way to deal with this job, everyone here has something different and people you can talk to, but I focused on the fact that this young lady sacrificed herself for the others and I knew that I shouldn’t let her down. She was the real hero.”

“Dustin reminded me so much of my older brother. I was around the age of that little girl when he died and so I know what that family is about to go through.”

Sylvie scooted closer to her partner and wrapped her arms around the young paramedic’s shoulders. “I know a lot of us here dread talking about our feelings but, again, if you ever need someone for anything- you’re my family now and I will always make myself available.”

“Thank you, Sylvie. It means a lot and I'm really glad you’re my partner.” Mackey stood up and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away her tears. “I’m gonna go see what Ritter is making for lunch.”

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

A few minutes after Mackey left the locker room, Casey walked in. “Hey, there you are. We heard about the rough call. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it's that poor family I can’t stop thinking about. He was just trying to be a teen and have some fun in the snow but now they’re planning a funeral.”

“I know. Sometimes this job reminds us of the bad that comes with the good.”

“Um, thanks for this but I should go make sure Mackey got something to eat and then grab something myself.” Sylvie tried to make it less awkward than it already was by escaping the situation altogether. She just didn’t know what to say to him. Not yet anyway. 

“Okay, well if you need anything else, I’m always here.” Sylvie nodded as she walked out to the common room.  
**************  
“Okay, I have the best rose and I hope you picked the cheesiest Hallmark movie to watch,” Stella said barely a second after she opened the door. “But first I need details.”

“Good evening to you too Stella.”

“We left off with you telling me that you and Casey talked after being trapped in an elevator for almost two hours. What did you guys talk about?”

“Um we talked about the last time we had a storm like that..remember the kid in the turnout room?”

“I try to forget the guy who had a gun to my head,” Stella responded. 

‘Welcome to the club.’ 

“Well, Casey said that was the night he started to see me differently as possibly more than a friend.”

“Oh, and what did you say?”

“I didn’t say much except that I tried to change the subject and that backfired, but he said he would wait. It’s just what if I’m never able to fully believe him, that’s not fair to him.”

“What are you so afraid of?”

“I’ve never been good enough with my romantic relationships and sometimes at work too. I’ve always been second to someone or something. I will always walk in Shay’s shadow; I’ve accepted that. Then with Mills and Borelli being my partner was the only other option when they couldn’t be on truck or squad. With Chilli, I know she was going through a hard time but she chose to push everyone away and chose alcohol over, not just me, but everyone at 51. Dawson only came back to ambo when she had Louie and I admired her for that because she gave up her dream of continuing to be a firefighter. Then Emily and med school.” She trailed off. “This is probably so selfish of me to say these things.”

“No, it's not because I can tell you’ve bottled this up for so long. You also said romantic relationships-what do you mean by that?”

“It took me leaving Fowlerton to realize that Harrison was an emotional manipulator. With Joe, it was something new and fun but that was it there was nothing else there and he turned out to be the best friend I could ask for-”

“Hm, what now?” 

“Besides you and Foster of course.”

“Much better.” Stella motioned for her to continue.

“I should have never gotten into anything with Antonio when I knew that I would never be first. He had this ex-wife and kids and not to mention a crazy time-consuming job. We were in different places in our lives. It just didn’t work. Kyle didn’t deserve what I put him through but I desperately wanted something stable in my life that I jumped at the chance and thought I could be happy, but I wasn’t.”

“I don’t see how this relates to anything that has to do with Casey.”

“I have two failed engagements and a lifetime supply of messy relationships. It proves that I have a higher chance to mess this one up too.”

“Okay but if I or Kelly had waited until our lives weren’t messy, we wouldn’t have had a chance to love each other like we do now.”

“I know you're right and I hate it, but I’m scared. This thing with Casey has felt more real than any of the others and I just don’t want to mess anything up.”

“Girl you should tell him that. If Casey loves you like we all know he does then that man would wait an eternity for you.”

“Okay enough about me. Are you and Severide good now?”

“Yeah I think so, we definitely need to talk about communication but I just wanted him to know that he could have come to me with what Conway said and that I don’t need a protector. It’s us, together as a team, and it has been for a while now and I just hope he knows it.”

Sylvie turned on the cheesiest Hallmark movie they could find and sat on the couch thinking about what Stella told her: ‘loves you like we all know he does.’

‘Has his feelings been so transparent that she didn’t realize? Maybe she didn’t want to realize it because Matt Casey being in love with her was crazy. She kept telling herself he was just being a good guy and friend- but was he?’

Stella was right though she wouldn't admit it again; she did need to tell Casey all of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Stella and Sylvie's friendship so much! You can call them whatever you want but I love the name Stelvie for them. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!


	4. Almost Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella plans a fun night for 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! How are we doing after Wednesday knowing we have to wait two weeks? 
> 
> Anyways here's chapter 4, it was a fun one to write. Enjoy! :)

Stella had accidentally fallen asleep on the couch before the end of the movie. So, Sylvie grabbed her phone and shot a quick text to Severide.

_ SB: Hey, Stella fell asleep so she won't be home tonight. See you on shift. _

_ KS: Thanks for the heads up.  _

“Hey Stella,” she shook her gently, “I let Severide know that you were gonna stay here tonight. Do you want to come sleep in my bed with me?”

Stella nodded, visibly half asleep still, “Carry me?”

“Not a chance, come on.”

Later, Sylvie’s alarm went off to get ready for shift. She looked over at her sleeping friend, who managed to steal the covers at some point in the night. Having the covers to herself was definitely something she missed after Stella went back home to Severide’s.

“Stella wake up, we’ve got a shift and you need to head to your apartment to get your gear.” 

“But your bed is so warm and out there is so cold.” She tucked her head below the covers. “Chicago is weird, not even a week ago it was raining and now it’s freezing.”

“I know but if you don’t get up now we’re going to be late and we both know Boden hates it when people are late.”

Stella groaned as she got out of bed and went into the bathroom to change out of the clothes I let her borrow last night. 

“We can get donuts and coffee after you grab your stuff.”

“Deal!” Her mood suddenly became more bearable. 

*********************

“Alright people, it is cold and even though many are used to it there are also many who still do not know how to drive. Make sure all the rigs are stocked with sandbags and every rig is inspected before and after calls.”After a collective copy from the group, Boden dismissed them. 

“Hey Mackey, wanna help me load the sandbags?” They made their way to the app floor where a stack of 20-pound bags lay near the supplies. “Was it just me or did I sense a new dynamic between you and Gallo?”

“Um maybe something happened and maybe Cruz found out about it.”

“Ah, so that’s why he was giving you both the death glare.”

“I love Cruz but I’m a grown woman and I like Blake and I want to see if there’s anything there.”

“You know the same goes for me- I’m here to talk boys whenever.” Mackey laughs as the alarm sounded for a person injured.

**********

“I don’t think I’ll ever get that comparison out of my head.” Mackey laughed as they walked into the common room.

“Hey ladies,” Hermann looked up from where he was playing cards with Ritter, “how was the call.”

“Some poor guy slipped on some ice and slid into a group of people waiting to cross the road. A guy fell onto the road but luckily the cars saw him. A broken wrist, sprained ankle, and a bonk to the head was all there was to it.” Sylvie stated. 

“Yeah but get this; we get back into the ambo after dropping the broken wrist guy off at Med and Brett says… tell them what you said.”

“I said that was the worst game of human bowling ever.” The room erupts in laughter making Sylvie’s cheek flush red. She starts to head toward where Matt’s standing near the coffee pot but then her phone starts to buzz and she excuses herself and backtracks to sit in the tower area. “Hey Scott, perfect timing.”

Scott puts Amelia on the phone and Sylvie talks to them about what's been going on; unaware of the figure standing a few feet away. 

“You’re staring,” Severide says patting Casey on the back.

“What? No-okay fine I’m totally staring but she hasn’t talked to Amelia in a week or two and hearing how she talks to her is nice.”

“You’ve got it bad my friend.” Severide quipped as he walked away.

Casey groaned as he followed Severide so he wouldn’t get caught. “So I basically told her I loved her in the elevator and she asked for time which I get but now I’m wondering if I scared her off.”

“Man, Brett is the fiercest person I know, besides Stella; you didn’t scare her off. You need to keep reminding her that you are there for her even if it is just as friends. That way she doesn’t feel pressured and you also can have her in your life.”

“When did you get to be so wise?”

“Comes with age- you’re getting there soon.”

“Shut up!” 

****************

That night at Molly’s, Brett was sitting at the bar while Stella was serving drinks. Hermann invested in standing heaters and he put a few around the patio; It helped but they still had to bundle up. 

“I don’t know how you can stand this weather,” Stella said.

“I’m from Indiana,” Sylvie said with a laugh, “and it’s nights like these that I miss my family sometimes. We would sit around the bonfire some nights and laugh as we told stories.”

“You know what we need?” Stella swung the towel she was holding over her shoulder. 

“Enlighten me please Stella Kidd.”

“We need a fun night- oh, what about a game night! Kelly and I can host and we can invite people from 51. It will be so much fun!”

“Oh, you really don’t need to do that.”

“Nope it’s done and you won’t have to plan a thing just come over when we say to. Besides I need a break from my studies. Please!” Stella sang the word 'please'. When there was something that Stella put her mind to, Sylvie knew not to fight her on it. 

“Okay, fine! You play dirty when you want something.” Stella shrugged walking to take care of a customer only to shoot Sylvie a devilish grin. She looked across the bar where Matt was sitting with Severide deep in conversation. Her talk with him will just have to wait a little bit longer. 

************

The next day was another day off and Stella had texted earlier that morning to be at her place at six. 

She had a couple of hours to mentally prepare herself for what was coming. It was the first time she was going to hang out with Matt since the elevator, sure their friends were going to be there but the fact that it was a game night didn’t help her nerves either. 

She had loved that night they had played heads up on her couch then everything happened. She doesn’t regret the kiss, not fully at least. It was high time that she made a move and how could she not when Gallo was telling her everything he did to get to her. Did it freak her out? Yeah because up until that point his feelings were questionable if not existent in her mind. It all fell apart after that. Sylvie Brett just wants her best friend back. She could make it through one game night with her 51 family. Right?

***********

Kelly had told him Stella planned a game night and invited Sylvie, along with the rest of 51 who could make it, but he was mostly excited for Sylvie. 

Severide even noticed how nervous he was when he was rearranging the couch cushions for the 3rd time that hour. “Dude it’s game night. The pillows will fall off the couch before the end of the night anyway considering how rowdy we are.”

“I just want everything to be perfect because this is the first time Sylvie and I will be in the same, non-work related, room in a while.” 

“Just chill okay, go about it like a normal night with friends and everything else will just fall into place.”

********************

Cruz and Chloe were the first to show up and not far behind was Mackey and Gallo. It's obvious that Chloe was the one keeping Joe from killing Gallo. This was a great start to the night.

Sylvie was the last to show up and man was she gorgeous in a blue sweater. Blue was definitely her color. She made her way to the living room that had been rearranged for the extra chairs and chose a spot next to Stella. 

“Ritter promised his boyfriend a date night tonight, so he couldn’t make it and I was told that the wives are having their own book club night so Hermann and Mouch were free. So for the first couple of rounds Joe and Chloe, Gallo and Mackey, Hermann and Mouch, Myself and Sylvie, and Casey and Severide will be partners. The category for this first round of charades is place.” Stella said. 

Cruz went first and Chloe guessed it pretty quickly after he attempted to make mouse ears out of his fingers. Then Hermann went and Mouch tried but could not seem to get the Grand Canyon guess. Even Sylvie got the Mount Rushmore guess from her and Stella’s turn. 

“Now it's time for round two and we are switching partners.” Like the speed of light, everyone had switched partners leaving Brett and Casey as the last ones so he moved closer to where she was sitting, catching a whiff of her lavender perfume as he plopped on the chair next to hers. 

“This round’s category is movies and Sylvie is up first.”

Sylvie grabbed a slip of paper out of the bowl and held up two fingers.

“Two words.” Matt and Cruz said at the same time and Sylvie nodded. She put her pointer fingers up like devil horns and stuck her tongue out as her eyes went wide. 

“Oh, Cruel Intentions!” Casey shouted over everyone else’s confused groan. 

“That’s it!” Sylvie shouted back and went in for a high five. 

“Isn’t that a romance movie?” Severide asked. 

“Did you forget that I have an older sister? She loved that movie and would make that face all the time especially when I was having a bad day.” 

Throughout the rest of the round Sylvie and Matt were hardly paying attention to the game and occasionally would catch the other looking at them. 

“Okay, listen up everyone,” Hermann spoke up. “The last round is a special one so let’s give it up for Chloe Cruz.” 

The rest of the group looked at each other confused while Hermann and Joe stared at them. It didn’t take long to know why because all Chloe had to do was one move and everyone got it immediately.

“You’re pregnant!!” When she nodded everyone looked back and forth between the couple making sure this wasn’t a cruel joke and when Joe nodded too the whole apartment went into celebration mode. 

“I’m so happy for you two. You’re going to be amazing parents!” Sylvie hugged Chloe and then Joe.

“There goes a good night's sleep for the next 18 years, at least.” Mouch joked.

For the rest of the night, the group celebrated and laughed and for the first time, it felt normal. There wasn’t any weird tension or feelings in the way. They were just celebrating the amazing news with their closest friends. 

“Hey, can I talk to you?” Sylvie asked, sliding up next to the fridge where Matt was grabbing a beer. Now probably wasn’t the best time to talk but is there such a thing as perfect timing? 

“Yeah, of course,” he guided her over to a corner away from the rest of the group.

She was ready to tell him about what she discussed with Stella but a text from Chief Boden sent a weird chill down her spine.

_ CB: Can you come in an hour early?  _

_ SB: Of course. Everything okay? _

_ CB: Yeah, will know more tomorrow. _

“Hey is everything okay?” Casey asked.

“Yeah, I think so. I’ll know more tomorrow.” She responded. It’s not technically a lie since she doesn’t know what’s going on but she has this feeling in the pit of her stomach and she’s not exactly sure how to calm it.

“You wanted to talk?” 

“Um yeah,” the conversation she had planned would have to wait. “I just wanted to say that I get why you were hard on Gallo. Arnow is in the back of everyone’s mind. More for you, so I get it.”

“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.” He stood there for another moment before he walked to where Cruz and Severide were talking. 

Her gaze followed him as he moved toward the group, then refocused back on the eerie text she received and the feeling in her stomach was back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think the text could be about? Hint it has to do with a previous character that I hope none of you think of. Let me know your thoughts!


	5. Headaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boden shares some news with Brett that has her lashing out at Casey after a call. Matt and Stella worry leading Casey to get to the bottom of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Ready to see who the past character I was referring to is? Well here's chapter 5
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Sylvie entered the common room to find Cruz, Hermann, Mouch, and Capp huddled around the table talking in hushed voices.“Hey guys, what are you doing here?” She asked and they quickly dispersed their huddle. 

“Oh um, squad was planning to do some drills,” Cruz answered.

“I had some paper...whatever work.. you know being a lieutenant.” 

“Yeah and what about you Mouch?” 

“You know I wanted to catch the early programming from the comfort of this couch.” Sylvie knew they were all lying but she didn’t have time to debate. She had to resolve her nerves that had been keeping her awake since Boden’s text last night. 

“Is Boden in his office?” She asked the group.

“Yeah kiddo, he said to let you know to go on in.”

She walked the path that she’s taken almost every shift since she started to Boden’s office but this time something was definitely off. 

_ ‘Get it together Sylvie Brett. There’s nothing to worry about until there is. He could just want to check in with me as every good boss does.’ _

When she made it to the door she knocked lightly and heard the gravel of his voice welcome her but her smile quickly faded when she also saw Burgess and Voight standing in the far corner. 

*************************

When Matt walked into work this morning he didn’t expect to see Burgess and Voight leaving the firehouse. He was even more confused when Severide had told him that Sylvie was the one they were talking to in Boden’s office. He had mustered enough courage to go and find her but the bell went off for ambo only. He really hates those bells sometimes. 

“Do you know why Burgess and Voight would want to talk to Sylvie?” Casey asked, standing in the doorframe of his best friend's quarters.

“Nope I learned about it from Hermann who, get this,” he repositioned himself in his chair, “asked how long until you ask Brett out on a proper first date and if I wanted to bet any money on a certain date.” 

Casey couldn’t help but laugh at his lieutenant's shenanigans but hoped Sylvie wouldn’t find out about the house betting on the status of their relationship. “And did you bet anything?”

“I gave you guys less than a week and then after that, you’ll join me and Stella for getting yelled at to 'get a room’.” 

“One week, hmm, reminds me of the time the house betted on how long your marriage to Brittney would last.” Casey chuckled as he walked away toward the common room for a coffee refill. His eyes scanned the room for any sign of the ambo or Sylvie but he came up empty. He made it all the way to his desk before his radio crackled to life.

“ _ Ambo 61 to main: we need two additional ambos to our location and a tow truck for 61.” Sylvie’s voice relayed to dispatch. _

What the hell happened on that call?

*********************

Mackey could tell that her partner was distracted during the ride to the scene. But as soon as they pulled up Brett jumped out of the passenger's seat and went to work. 

A woman was wearing heels and one of the heels got stuck in a drain cover.“What made you wanna wear heels on a freezing day.” Mackey asked, trying to keep her calm.

“I had a job interview and my car wouldn’t start so I decided to walk instead. At least I’m walking home and not to the interview.”

“It doesn’t appear to be broken but just in case I’ll go grab the brace if you think you can hold her steady Mackey?” Her partner nodded readjusting her position to get a better hold on the woman and keep her still. 

Brett climbed into the back and grabbed the brace from a drawer. She stepped back and saw the car coming. The impact caused her forehead to come into contact with the glass cabinet. 

_ ‘She’s starting to hate glass just as much as she hates guns.’  _

Brett didn’t lose consciousness but her ears rang and she knew she was gonna have a killer headache and matching bruise. It took her a second to know what was going on around her but as soon as she looked at the brace she was still holding, nothing but her job mattered. 

“I got the brace.” She knelt down to wrap it around the woman’s ankle ignoring the stares from both the patient and her partner. Probably about the bruise forming or what they had just witnessed but she didn’t care. 

“Mackey finish up here. I’m gonna go check on the driver.” She made her way to the black car before her partner could get a word to her. A kid no more than 18 sat stiffly behind the wheel yet she could make out tiny shakes of his body.

“I-I’m sorry. I was only going 35 and I thought I turned into the skid but I was too late.”He stuttered. 

“It’s okay buddy. We’re gonna get you out.”

“61 to main,” Sylvie told the dispatch everything that had just happened, “there’s minimal damage to 61 but we need a truck company for extrication.”

“Copy that 61, truck 73 en route.”

Sylvie knew that as soon as truck 73 dropped her and Mackey off at 51, Casey would be there on the apron ready to ask her any and all questions from a to z. She didn’t have enough energy in her to deal with him at the moment. She politely waved to Truck 73 as they drove off and like clockwork, Casey was behind her.

“What-” he started to ask but she didn’t let him say any more than that when she dropped an ‘I’m fine’ and swiftly brushed right past him. You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that footsteps following her as she entered the corridor to the firehouse was his. 

“Hey, slow down.” His fingers lightly took ahold of her forearm and he saw the bruise she’d been hiding behind the strands of her hair. “Are you okay?”

“I told you, I’m fine. Now I would like to be left alone.” She started to turn and walk away.

“Did you at least have someone look at the bruise? Did you lose consciousness?” He rattled off. 

“Casey!” She spun back on her heels to face him again. “I am sick of you babying me like I’m some fragile thing ready to break. Yes I got it looked at and no I didn’t lose consciousness so will you please back off and give me space!” She snapped.

“Brett,” Boden’s voice boomed from where he stood on the opposite side of the foyer causing her to look around and realize that she had the attention of everyone now. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll call a relief PIC to come and fill in.”

Under any other circumstances, she would have protested but after her scene she was embarrassed and her head was starting to throb so she didn’t. Instead, she quickly grabbed her things from her locker without making eye contact with the sympathetic glances her friends were most likely giving her and she went home. 

*************

“Casey and Kidd, will you come to my office for a second?” Boden asked after the house had settled down, almost forgetting what had happened 15 minutes earlier. Casey and Kidd did as they were told and followed their chief to his office. “I have a feeling what happened with Brett is my fault.” He said, taking a seat at his desk.

After a few confused glances passed between the group, Boden spoke again. “It appears that Brett didn’t tell you guys. Anyways, I dropped a bomb on her before shift with Voight and Burgess and it’s up to her to give you guys the details but I feel terrible about it.” Boden continues to explain the situation and by the end of it, Casey’s knuckles are white from how hard he was clenching them. 

After Boden dismissed them, Casey turned to Kidd in the bullpen. “Did Sylvie tell you anything about this?” 

“No, and that’s not like her because she knows she can always come to me.” She pushed her hair back. “Why didn’t she come to me with this?”

“I don’t know. I know that Sylvie asked me for space but I plan to go see her after shift because I’m worried. And to clear the air.” 

“I would go but I have a mandatory meeting for my lieutenant exam.” She took a couple of steps forward then raised her hand to her head. “Damn, I have been telling her how stressed I was, especially when Kelly and I were on the outs, that she must have thought that she’d bother me with this. You tell her she can come to me anytime with anything.” She pulled out her phone.

After a quick ‘I’ll let you know how it goes’ to Kidd, Casey retreated to his quarters where he would wait out the rest of the shift.

**************

Sylvie poured herself possibly her 3rd glass of wine while replaying her fight with Casey. Saying she regrets it would be an understatement. She realizes that it was probably the pain from her head and the stress of the day that took over but that doesn’t mean that he deserved anything she said. 

“Way to go Sylvie, you messed up one of the most important relationships with a guy who means the world to you and you were just starting to lean on him again.” She took another sip. “What’s wrong with me?”

She let her eyes close for a second but heard the familiar ping of her phone. Any other time she would have loved to talk to Foster but tonight hadn’t been a good day so she mustered her strength to put on a fake smile and answered the facetime call.

“Hey, Foster! How’s it going?” She had tried her best to sound enthusiastic but she was practically lying through her teeth. 

“Cut the crap Sylvie” If one thing stuck out about Emily Foster it’s that she didn’t take anyone’s BS and would tell it like it is. “Stella called earlier and gave me a run-down but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s worried about you and honestly I would be too if I had seen you yell at Casey.”

Stella had a big mouth even if it was coming from a good place. “Yeah, I regret that already so there’s no need to lecture me but he didn’t deserve what I yelled at him. I know he’s just looking out for me.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “A lot has been going on and I probably just need to sleep it off.”

“I understand that. You’ll call me if you ever need to vent?”

“Of course, hey before I forget, how’s the Covid ward?”

“Still pretty busy, sadly, but I get dose number 2 of the vaccine next week.”

“That’s good to hear!” Sylvie wasn’t sure when CFD would be administering vaccines and she hasn’t heard anything lately. “Okay well you be safe and I’ll talk to you again soon. I miss you! Bye Em!” She hung the call after waving and blowing lots of air kisses to the phone. She did miss Emily riding ambo with her every shift but Mackey had been a great addition and Sylvie knew Foster was where she needed to be. 

After switching from wine to water and getting something to eat around 10 pm she fell asleep only to be woken up to the sound of someone knocking at her door.

“Sylvie please open the door. Can we talk?” So she did and he didn’t hesitate to blow past her, stopping when he made it to the living room.

“I know I’m the last person you want to see right now but-”

“Matt.” She said, but he didn’t hear her because he kept going.

“-Joe Halleck? What could he possibly want after 3 months and why didn’t you come to me or Kidd? You know-”

“Casey!” She had enough and she needed to get this off her chest. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said some awful things to you. I heard Halleck’s name and I spun out a little. I was going to come to you but then the car clipped the ambo and it brought me back to the moment we were going over the bridge and I thought that I would never see you or anyone else at 51 again.” She headed to sit on the couch. “I saw the car coming and I had time to react, but I didn’t. I asked myself why didn’t I at least hold on to anything but a part of me was prepared to die. I have been held at gunpoint 7 times. SEVEN TIMES! And I’m still here but the minute the ambo started to drift off the bridge I thought my life was over.” She was on the verge of crying now that she has finally released this weight she’s been carrying around for months. “How am I still here?”

When Matt heard the all too familiar question leave her lips, he rushed to her side and enveloped her in a hug. “Hey, I’ve been down this road and it leads to nowhere if you keep asking yourself the ‘what ifs;’ you remember when I had that gun jam two years ago and you ushered me to talk to someone. It took me a little bit but I did and they said what I’m going to tell you now.” He looked her in the eyes, pushing strands of hair out of her face. “You didn’t die because it’s not your time. You have defied the odds because the people of Chicago need Sylvie Brett. I need Sylvie Brett.”

“Halleck wants to see me.” She spoke. “Apparently, he went into rehab before serving his sentence and before being transferred to Cook County he asked to speak with the paramedic who saved his life. It’s happening tomorrow morning.” 

“Are you going to go?” He asked but deep down he already knew the answer. She was Sylvie Brett and she would hear him out even if the guy tried to kill her, twice. Much to his dismay, he wouldn’t try to talk her out of it.

“Yeah. I talked to Burgess and they’re bringing Halleck to the district before being booked into Cook County. She also said that he would be restrained so I didn’t have anything to worry about.”

She repositioned her allowing herself to tuck her knees into her chest. “You know I thought I was past all of this. Sure the first couple of nights I had some lingering nightmares but who wouldn’t. They went away and then everything with us happened and it gave me something else to focus on for a while and they went away. Then, if it’s the Universe’s way as a wake-up call, I’m informed that Halleck wants to see me, and then an 18-year-old clipped the ambo in the same shift. I guess I didn’t deal with it like I thought I did? She picks at her cuticles since her watch is laying on her dresser. “This is a final way of dealing with it. The final piece of the puzzle named closure and I need to do this.”

“I wasn’t going to stop you. You may think I don’t know you Sylvie but I do. You get a crinkle in your brow when you don’t like something or when you're focused. Don’t let Kidd know but she may have let it slip about your fear of clowns.” Oh, she’s definitely having a talk with her best friend now. “I just want you to know that I’m honored to be the one you’re sharing this stuff with. I know it wasn’t easy, so thank you.” He pushes himself off the couch and stands up to leave.

“Will you stay? I may not have been fully forthcoming at the firehouse. I did get checked out and they gave me some meds but they also said that I could have a small concussion and said it would be wise to have someone with me the first night. I was going to call Stella but since you’re here-”

“Yeah, I’ll stay.” He cut her off mentally making a note for later to talk about her not being ‘forthcoming’ about her injury.

“Also Matt,” she gulped. “Will you come with me to the 21st tomorrow? You once said that you knew I could handle anything solo but it would be nice to have a buddy. I think I need a buddy in this situation.”

“Sylvie, of course I will.” He wasn’t going to admit it but he was already working on a plan for him to come with but he’s glad that she’s trusting him with this. 

She flicked on her TV and knew it would automatically be on the home improvement channel because he knows her. About 20 minutes later he heard her soft snores and scooted closer on the couch, taking his hand, he gently guided her head to his shoulder where she would be more comfortable.

Was he experiencing deja vu? Yes, but he never wanted to leave this spot until absolutely necessary. There wasn’t anything in the world he wouldn’t do for her including taking her hurt and pain and making it his own. If tonight was anything, it was most certainly progress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you shocked? Did you like it? This idea kinda came out of nowhere but Brett has been through a lot and I would love to see her deal with it on the show but we can't have everything we want. lol 
> 
> I'll try to update when I can but I'm going back to school on Monday meaning back to being overwhelmed with homework.


	6. Past Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie and Matt go to the 21st to talk to Halleck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I haven't forgotten about this story it's just my life has been hectic so updates will be slower. 
> 
> If you want you can follow me (you don't have to) on Tumblr and just ask me questions or whatever. I don't really know how to do Tumblr lol- its write4life13
> 
> Enjoy this chapter! :)

It was a little past 7 in the morning when the light streaming in from the windows woke Matt up. He looked where Sylvie slept in front of him with his arm laying across her hip. She was beautiful. He maneuvered slightly, trying not to wake her up until he could get up from the couch without having to climb over her. He slumped to the kitchen and laughed when he realized that her cabinets were labeled. Of course, they were. Scanning until he landed on the one that read ‘coffee mugs’ he grabbed two and made his way to the coffee maker. 

After a few minutes, he heard stirring from the couch, and there she was yawning with her eyes slightly open. “Did I wake you?” He asked pouring the coffee in what he now realized was a Hoosier cup and a dalmatian mug. 

“No, I smelt coffee.” She took the Hoosier mug in her hand sniffing the cup and letting out a deep ‘ahh.’ “Much better.”

“We have a little bit of time before we have to be at the district so I’m gonna head home to change and shower and I’ll be back to pick you up around 9. Does that sound good?”

“Yeah, I should probably do the same. I’ll see you then.” Matt took his coat from the rack and slipped out the door. 

Sylvie was true to her word heading to take a much-needed shower. When she got out she kinda stared at the couch. A mysterious piece of furniture where two months ago she was kissing Matt and now last night they had fallen asleep on it. She walked back into her room where she spent the next 5 minutes staring at her closet. What exactly do you wear to go see the guy who almost killed you? She ended up choosing a pink sweater and her favorite blue jeans pairing them with black ankle boots and her teal puffy jacket. She dried her hair and left it straight, falling above her shoulders. She put on about the same amount of makeup she would for shift and then it hit her- she’s doing all this because Matt would be with her. Could she be any more obvious?

**************

Sylvie only lived 10 minutes from Severide’s place so when he got to the front door he had plenty of time before he needed to go pick up Sylvie.

“Hey, Casey. Where have you been?” Severide asked, standing in front of the stove with the smell of bacon radiating the apartment.

“I was at Brett’s and before your mind goes to the gutter- I fell asleep on her couch.”

“That couch is amazing, believe me,” Kidd stated with her mouth full of the piece of bacon she took. “Her bed is even more so. Maybe you’ll find out one day.” She laughed as she retreated into Kelly’s room.

His jaw was open in disbelief. “When are you going to rein in your girlfriend?” He joked. 

“There’s no reining in Stella Kidd. But if she wasn’t going to say that comment I sure was. Along those lines.” Matt went to slap his best friend's shoulder but he dodged it. 

“Remind me again why I don’t have my own place?”

“Because you love me,” Kelly yelled as Matt disappeared to his room. 

Casey returned half an hour later wearing a dark green long sleeve shirt and jeans. He walked past his roommates on the couch and grabbed the plate of bacon Kelly had set aside for him. 

“So is she okay?” Stella asked, pivoting on the couch. 

“Yeah, I think so. This whole thing with Halleck is bringing back memories that both of us want to forget.”

“Wait, Halleck? I definitely missed something.” Kelly acknowledged. He had that look in his eye that Matt hasn’t seen since Otis wanted to ask Katie out. ‘Big brother look’ is the simplest way to put it. 

“Yeah, you did. He wants to see her and I’m taking her to the district.” He looked at his roommates' dumbfounded looks. “I should get going so we can get it over with. I’ll see you guys later.” Matt placed his plate on the kitchen counter, grabbed his keys, and left Kelly and Stella sitting there probably shocked at this whole ordeal but they aren’t as shocked as he was; he was just good at hiding it. 

***************

He had picked her up at her apartment at the time he said he would. Sylvie sat in silence the whole way to the district twisting her watch. She probably could have a rash by the end of the day if she kept it up. 

Matt put his truck in park, putting a hand on her shoulder before she could reach for the door handle. “Whatever happens in there and whatever he says I just want you to know that you’re the bravest person I know. Not many people would have done what you did after the accident and so what I guess I’m trying to say is: you, Sylvie Brett are remarkable and I hope you don’t forget that.”

She took the hand that was resting on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Thank you, Matt. That means a lot.” She looked out the window at the brick building and pushed open the car door. “Let’s get this over with,” she mumbled to herself.

She felt herself relax a little when she was met with Trudy Platt’s smiling face when she entered the 21st.  “Hey Sylvie,” she greeted. “Burgess is waiting in the bullpen; I’ll buzz you up.”

Matt and Sylvie took off up the stairs and a ‘bzz’ was heard then the door clicked open. When they reached the second floor, Burgess stood by her desk offering a wave and smile when she spotted the pair.  “Hey Sylvie, Casey,” She hugged Sylvie and then nodded in hello. “I’m glad you took my advice and brought someone but before we go in there Halleck will be cuffed to the table the entire time so if you’re having second thoughts-”

“No,” Sylvie cut her off. “I mean I need to do this. I’m ready.” Burgess nodded and led them down the hallway. She let Matt into the room with the glass window and when Kim realized that he had tensed up she leaned over to whisper, ‘I won’t let anything happen to her’ and he seemed to relax slightly.

Kim put her hand on the middle of Sylvie’s back and guided her to the second door that opened to reveal Joe Halleck sitting there, staring at her. He was clean-shaven and compared to what he looked like 3 months ago; he looked better. She guessed that rehab had helped. 

Burgess took her spot in the corner of the room and Sylvie made her way to the metal chair on the other side of where Halleck sat. When she pulled it out it scraped the concrete floor releasing a loud noise. 

“You wanted to see him and I’m here so now what?” she said and the coldness of the chair radiated through the fabric of her jeans. 

“Thank you for coming.” He moved his hand from his lap to the table causing the ‘click clack’ of the handcuffs to scrape the table. “I know that this will never be enough for what I put you through but I’m sorry and if I could I would like to explain.” When she said nothing he continued. “It had been my brother and me since our parents died in an accident. I was the one that was supposed to be taking care of him and instead I dragged him into my life with drugs. I was so high that I didn’t know I called 911 until you and your partner showed up. I know you tried to save him so thank you for that. I got the call that he died and went straight to drugs because I was hurting and instead of blaming myself even though it was all my fault, I blamed you.” Sylvie repositioned in the chair. “The next day I waited until I saw you come out and we know what happened next. But what I don’t understand and why I asked to speak to you was to ask you why did you save me?” 

She cleared her throat. “At first I didn’t know but then I thought about it longer. Believe it or not, you aren’t the first person to threaten me with the gun while I was on the job.” She scoffed at that remark because even though she wanted him to be the last; he probably wouldn’t be. “When I was first starting there was an incident with me and my old partner and we had to do surgery on a man who was the cause of it. I wanted to let him die but when I had the chance to go through with it I just couldn’t do it. I hated myself because I was a first responder and should never think like that, but my partner told me that it was a human reaction. Ever since that day I told myself if I ever got in a situation like that again, I wouldn’t hesitate. You may not think that you’re worthy of a second chance but I hope that when I leave here that you will reflect on your past mistakes. But I don’t want you to do it for me. Do it for your brother who didn’t get a chance to live out the rest of his life. The guilt won’t ever go away but at least you have a reason to keep fighting now.” Sylvie looked back at Burgess as a sign that she was finished and Burgess crossed the room to open the door. 

“Wait!” Halleck called before she exited the interrogation room. “Thank you.”

“I hope you can forgive yourself one day because I forgive you.” And with that, she rounded the corner where Matt was waiting for her and gave him a big hug. “Thank you for being you, Matt Casey.” She mumbled into his shoulder.

“Always, Sylvie Brett.” He stood there for a moment until he heard the rumble of her stomach and pulled away. “Should we go get something to eat?”

They waved goodbye to Burgess and a few minutes later they were in the cab of Casey’s truck.

“Um, about that story I told him in there. The only people who knew from 51 were Mills and now you, I guess.” She started to play with her watch again.

“Sylvie, you don’t need to explain anything to me at all. I know that we weren’t close when everything with Lullo happened but you’re secret's safe with me.”

“It’s not really a secret it’s more of something that I’m ashamed of still.” She looked Matt in the eye while her’s was trying not to let the tears fall.

“I think what you told him is a perfect example of how much you’ve grown, not only as a paramedic but also as a person.” He said grabbing her hand to squeeze for reassurance for the second time that day. It was almost like a thing between them. Before the kiss, they had always gone to the other when something was weighing on them and the other wouldn’t judge but instead listen and offer encouraging words. That was probably the thing Matt missed the most about his friendship with Sylvie and he was happy to see that it was starting to feel that way again just a little bit differently. 

Another rumble, this time from his stomach, caused both of them to chuckle. “Can we get food now? There’s a burger place a couple of blocks from here or a pizza stand in the other direction. What’s your pick?”

“Burgers sound good to me.” 

“Good, I was hoping you’d pick it.” She laughed.

“Oh, I know! I was getting telepathic signals from you.” He joked causing her to playfully swat his forearm. 

“Shut up and drive before our stomachs cause an earthquake.” She exaggerated. 

She’s not sure what happened but something changed yet it feels the same. She knows it doesn’t make any sense but she likes it all the same. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a fun story arc coming up so get excited for that! Have a great week everyone!


	7. Surprises: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvie goes on a mission and drags a willing Matt along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I have loved all the comments and kudos. They mean a lot! I'm halfway through with chapter 9 so here's chapter 7. I hope you like it because this is starting a fun arc. 
> 
> This is basically a "Sylvie Brett is the best human ever" chapter and I got the inspiration from "A Chicago Welcome" episode!! 
> 
> Enjoy!! :)

After they had stuffed their faces with as many french fries they could handle, Casey drove her back home. It was Tuesday night and they had shift in the morning so Matt made it a point it wouldn't be late when he dropped her off; even if they both wanted the night to last longer, they wouldn’t say so. 

Casey pulled up in front of her building and put his truck in park. “Thanks for today. I’m really glad I asked you to come with me.”

“Of course. I’m glad you asked me to come.” He watched as she climbed out. Her blonde hair illuminated under the soft glow of the street lights. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Yeah. Goodnight.” She replied and shut the door. 

When she got into the apartment she kicked off her shoes and collapsed on her bed. Slowly drifting to sleep, she let her mind dream of Matt Casey.

*************

They had gotten their first call before the end of the morning brief so they were all prepared for what the day would be. They pulled up to a two-story rolling house fire and Boden directed the units.

“Truck 81, primary search on the second floor. Squad 3, search the basement and 1st. Engine be prepared to cover. We’ve got about 7 minutes.” Brett caught Casey’s eye before he put on his mask and gave him a reassuring nod. “Let’s make them count!” He finished relaying and a woman came rushing over yelling. “Ma’am, calm down, what’s going on?”

“That’s a daycare. My Maya is in there.” She said out of breath.

“How many others?” Boden asked but she was still staring at the building. “How many others?” He said again a little louder.

“There’s four kids and two adults. The Morrison sisters run it.” She spoke and he turned around and grabbed his radio. 

“Casey, Severide. There’s a total of 6 civilians in that house. You’ve got 6 minutes.” He called over.

“Copy Chief.” Casey’s voice came over. “Kidd and Gallo coming out now with one adult and two kids.”

“Yeah, Capp and Tony found another kid, bringing her out now,” Severide responded. 

Just then Kidd came out of the smoke carrying an adult female who came to when she was laid on the stretcher. “Did you find Brandy and Maya?” She coughed out while Mackey was putting oxygen on the 3 kids who were now in the back of the ambo. “Maya likes to read in the basement and my sister went looking for her. Please tell me they’re out.” 

Boden had overheard the woman and called it over the radio. “We have reason to believe the last two victims are in the basement. The closest team goes. You’ve got four minutes.”

“Copy Chief, Cruz and I will go.” There was a long pause and then Boden’s radio crackled. “We found the adult. Cruz bringing her out now.”

“Severide, Kidd and I are almost there. Coming down the hall now.” He spoke over the radio.

Inside the fire, Cruz and Severide were coming up the stairs and were met by Casey and Kidd. “She’s got a head lac and a few burns,” Cruz said when he saw the others.

“Kidd, help Cruz with the victim. Severide and I will find the little girl.” 

“Copy, Captain.” She responded and grabbed the feet of the unconscious woman. They made it outside and laid the woman down and let the medics from 97 work on her. Kidd is about to go back inside when she hears the ‘mayday’ call over the radio.

“Mayday, Mayday. Severide was going down the stairs when they collapsed. Requesting a rope rescue.” Casey’s voice frantically stated.

“Casey. Do you have eyes on Severide?” Boden asked worry started to fill his throat.

“Negative Chief, also the smoke is getting thick down here making it hard to see.”

“Cruz, grab the equipment and come with me.” Boden noticed Kidd walking back to the structure. “I need you to stay here Kidd. You’re too close to this. We will get him.” He reassured the firefighter. He radioed to Casey that he and Cruz were coming in. 

Back inside the fire, Casey was yelling out to Severide and after a third time, he finally got a response.

“Hey, Casey I found the little girl. She was hiding in the back corner. No apparent injuries.”

“Copy. Boden and Cruz are on their way.” 

Soon enough the two men appeared next to Casey and worked diligently to set up the rope rescue. Severide first hooked himself then wrapped another rope tethering him and the unconscious child together. After a few minutes, Cruz came out carrying the girl to the nearest stretcher, and not far behind were Boden, Casey, and Severide. 

As soon as she saw him, Stella ran in to hug him, relaxing when she felt his arms around her. When they broke away, Brett was ready to check him out for a concussion and any smoke inhalation. They watched as Maya’s mom ran to her child just as she was coming to.

Boden walked over to Severide sitting on the bumper of the ambo drinking water. “Nice save down there.” He patted his shoulder, giving him and Casey a nod. 

*******************

Brett and Mackey got another call on their way back from Med that didn’t last more than an hour but also meant they hadn’t had anything to eat so when the medics walked in, Casey grabbed the two plates he hid in the microwave and handed it to them.

“I saved you ladies two plates of Chole’s potato casserole.”

“Thanks, Casey,” Brett replied.

“Yeah, thanks, Captain,” Mackey said, taking the plate and sitting next to Gallo.

“It’s nothing, just wanted to make sure you guys got something to eat.” He handed Sylvie the other plate and smiled as he disappeared toward the bunkroom.

Squad 3 got a solo call but by the time they got back, Brett and Mackey had finished eating and using this period of time of not having any calls to stock the ambo. They had just finished inventory when Severide appeared. 

“How’s it going lieutenant? No lasting effects from the fire? Mackey asked.

“No, all good, but Brett,” she looked up when he called her name. “Can I talk to you?” Sylvie heard Mackey mumble ‘that’s my cue’ and watched as she walked away only turning her attention back to Severide when she was out of sight. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” She jumped down on the app floor then Severide led her to the front where he leaned against the grill of the ambo. She looked down where she saw that he was holding a coffee cup from her favorite shop out to her. “Is that coffee from Beanery?” Her eyes went wide with delight. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“It’s not what you did, it’s what I’m hoping you’ll do.” Sylvie grabbed the cup, feeling the warmth radiating through it. He sounded serious so she angled her body towards him and folded her arm across her chest while the other one held the coffee. “You love to plan things so I was hoping you could help me plan how to propose to Stella.”

An excited squeal came from Sylvie as Severide laughed. “Kelly Severide you better not be playing with me!” She laughed when she had calmed down only like one notch. “Of course I’ll help you plan it!” 

“Good. Now you’re smart so I don’t have to tell you twice but Stella must not know.” He said sternly and Sylvie did the motion where she zipped up her mouth and threw away the key. “Only you, Casey, and Foster know.”

“This is going to be so much fun. When do you want to start or what date do you have in mind because I have nothing going on,” she rattled off.

“Okay first I shouldn’t have gotten you caffeine,” he started trying to take the coffee away from her but she swatted his hand away. “Secondly, I don’t have an exact date. I just know I don’t want to wait too long; especially with our jobs.” Sylvie understood that and with what she saw at the call earlier whenever Severide proposes, Stella will say yes.

*************

“What are your plans for after shift?” Casey asked, coming into step with Sylvie.

“Oh hey.” She said startled. “I was thinking about running to Med and checking on those sisters. I found an article about their daycare. It’s completely free and the only income they get is by donation. They lost everything in the fire so I want to do anything I can to help.”

He stared in astonishment. “Do you mind if I tag along?”

“No not at all but don’t you have any construction jobs?”

“Not any pressing ones. It’s still winter so I have a few but it won’t pick up again until it warms up.” He laughs.

“Okay, I’ll meet you at Med because I have an errand to run first.” She started walking to her car then spun back around and ran to where Casey was near his truck. “Actually, I might need you for this errand and by you, I mean your truck.”

“Sounds good. Lead the way.” They hoped in his truck where Sylvie told him which turns to take until they stopped in front of a two-story house in a gated neighborhood. 

“Hey Hunter, thanks for doing this.” She said when the man was close enough to hear. “Matt this is Hunter, he’s Olivia’s older brother who happens to have three kids of his own so when I told him my plan he was happy to part with some of his kids' things that had been taking space.”

“You’re actually helping us out big time. We are expecting a girl at the end of July and I don’t think any of her older brother’s toys would do.”

“Congrats!” Matt and Sylvie followed Hunter to the backyard shed and he pointed out 5 boxes that were good to go with them. “I know these toys will be put to good use. Thanks for doing this.” She responded when Matt had placed the last box in the back of his truck.

They waved their goodbyes as they climbed back into Matt’s truck preparing to head to Chicago Med when Sylvie caught Matt staring at her. “What?”

“You continue to amaze me every day that’s all.” He smiled at her and her stomach did a familiar summersault at the sight of it causing her cheeks to warm. “But I do want to know one thing.” He looked over at her for a second then turned his attention back to the road. 

“Shoot.”

“If you didn’t change your mind and ask to use my truck, how were you planning to fit these boxes in your car.”

“Um, I don’t know; that’s a good point. I’d probably end up calling you because I knew you would save me. You always save me like from wrecked ambos to even myself.” The memory of their talk in the bunkroom after the accident flashes in her head causing her to smile. She looked out the window for the first time since they left Hunter’s house only to realize that he had missed the turn to Med. “Casey, the road to med was back there.”

“I know. We’re not going to Med just yet.” He smirked.

“What did you do?”

“Don’t you trust me?” He had this mysterious glint in his eye and she pursed her lips together from smiling like a giddy teenage girl.

A few minutes later they pulled up in front of a house that Sylvie recognized instantly as Hermann’s. 

“So I may have called Hermann while you were saying goodbye to Hunter to see if he had anything that his kids wanted to part with and he happily agreed to donate.” 

“Aren’t you full of surprises?” She rested her elbow on the console smiling at the man in front of her.

“I may have a few more tricks up my sleeve.” He circled the truck opening the door when they saw Hermann and Cindy head towards them. 

The Hermann’s ushered them inside where Cindy had made a fresh batch of brownies and to say hi to the kids. 

“This was a great idea, Sylvie, I have been looking for a way to get rid of some of the toys that collect dust in the garage. I’m just glad that it could be put to good use.”

“Yeah, it’s such a good idea that I’m offering Molly’s Patio to hold a fundraiser and we can pass the boot. We’ll get all the details worked out with the pandemic later but the first rosé is one the house.” 

“I could never pass up a free drink!” The group laughed and Cindy gave Sylvie a container of brownies for the sisters in the hospital. They were laughing still when they filed back into the truck as a song on the radio filled the silence. 

“Seven boxes! I didn’t picture Hermann for much of a hoarder.” And the laughter resumed for another minute. “Are we going to the hospital now?”

“We have one more stop, then yes.” He answered.

“Okay, lead the way.” She sat there amused. Where this was heading, she was intrigued to find out. “Oh, and to answer your earlier question- of course, I trust you. I always have.”

As much as Sylvie loves looking at houses, she’s quite beat as they pull up on the third one in a day. She feels like she’s house hunting but instead of houses, it’s actually for toys. A small stature woman stands in the driveway and Sylvie recognizes her but she’s not sure where she’s seen her. When they get closer she can see the resemblance between the woman and Casey. She has lighter blonde hair compared to Matt’s more brunette shade that probably has darkened over the years but their eyes are the same. She now realizes where she’s seen her; in a picture in Matt’s office because this woman is his sister. 

“Hi,” she said, trying not to let anyone know how absolutely nervous she is at this moment. “You must be Christie. It’s great to finally meet you.”

Christie went in for a hug, catching Sylvie off guard. “It is so good to meet you too, Sylvie. I’ve heard a lot about you.” All good things she hopes, as she awkwardly laughs trying to swallow her nerves. “You just missed Violet, Matt, I know she would’ve loved to see you but she had to go study for her SAT. You know what, why don’t you two come over for dinner? Are you two off tomorrow?”

“Yeah we’re off but we will get back to you on dinner.” Matt could tell how nervous Sylvie was because she had started fidgeting with her watch again. “Where are those boxes again?”

“Right back here.” Christie led us to the back corner of her garage where two boxes labeled ‘Violet’s baby toys’ were. When Sylvie went to pick up a box she knocked into another sending an old dusty baseball mitt rolling to the floor stopping in front of Matt who picked it up.

“You kept this thing?” He inspected the object in his hand. 

“Yeah, we had some fond memories with that mitt. If I recall you loved throwing it at me when you were frustrated that I couldn’t throw a curveball, right?” Christie and Matt both laughed.

Matt cleared his throat when he realized that Sylvie was looking at him. “My dad gave me this glove for my 7th birthday and I joined little league baseball that year.”

“I didn’t know you played baseball.”   
  


“Yeah, I loved it, and then like all phases I grew out of it and joined my high school football team the year before…” He trailed off and Sylvie didn’t need him to finish the sentence for her to know what he meant. It was an unspoken rule at the firehouse not to ask Casey about his parents that boiled over when he ran for Alderman and his past was used to intimidate him. Casey put the glove back in the box it came from, picked the other box of Violet’s toys, and walked back to his truck without saying another word. 

“I’m so sorry. I should have watched where I was going.” Sylvie said, picking up the box she sat down a few minutes ago. 

“You did nothing wrong, Sylvie. Don’t beat yourself up about something you didn’t have any control over. If it weren’t for you and this mission of yours, I don’t think I’d see him until Christmas. That’s why I want you to come for dinner; thanks for watching out for my baby brother. I’m glad that you are in his corner.” They walked the path from the garage to Matt’s truck in silence, giving Sylvie time to think about what she had said. 

_ ‘I’m glad he’s in my corner too.’ _

**************

Nearly two hours after their shift had ended, Matt and Sylvie walked into the entrance of Chicago Med with Brett holding the container of brownies from Cindy Hermann.

“Hey Maggie,” Sylvie smiled, reaching the desk of their friend. “We brought in two sisters from a house fire this morning and would like to check on them. One of the sister’s names is Brandy Morrison.”

“Abby Morrison was discharged but she’s staying by her sister's bedside in the ICU. Floor 3, room 322.” Sylvie thanked Maggie but her mind wondered why Brandy was in the ICU. They came upon the room Maggie had said and seen a petite woman sitting in the chair so she knocked lightly on the doorframe.

“Hi, my name is Sylvie Brett and this is Matt Casey. We were the ones that responded to the fire at your house.” The woman’s eyes met Sylvie’s and her heart couldn’t help but ache at the sight of welled up tears and bags already forming under them. “How is your sister doing?”

“Um, they’re worried about the swelling from the head injury but they are optimistic that it will go down soon.”

“That’s good. One of the wives of a firefighter in our house baked some brownies and sent some with me for you. You probably haven’t eaten much and this isn’t healthy but it’s something.” Sylvie sat the plastic container on the nightstand. 

“That’s very kind of you, thanks. Thank you both for saving us and the kiddos, how could we ever repay you?”

“You don’t need to repay us, we were doing our jobs. But if you’re up for it, our firehouse hangs at a bar called Molly’s,” Sylvie opened her wallet and pulled out one of the business cards and handed it to her. “That’s the address and you can meet some more of the people who were there and thank them. Take care of yourself and I hope to see you tonight.”

They walked out of the room and Sylvie looked down at her watch. “Hey, do you want to come back to my place? We can order pizza and plan the fundraiser before we head to Molly’s to set up.” 

“I’d love to but shouldn’t we stop at the firehouse to grab your car first?” Sylvie had been so comfortable these past three hours now riding shotgun in Matt’s truck that she completely forgot about her own car. 

“You’re right. Tell you what, you drop me off at the firehouse and on my way to the apartment I’ll pick up Mario’s Pizza while you drop off the boxes we collected at Molly’s.”

“Sounds like a good plan, Sylvie Brett.” He smiled as we pulled out of the parking lot. 

**********

When Sylvie got into her apartment, she put the pizzas in the oven to keep warm until Matt got there and took a much-needed shower to wake up and refresh. 

She was coming out of her room when she heard the knock at the door. “Hey Matt, come on in, I put the pizza in the oven while I took a shower so it’s still hot.” She shut the door behind him, pointing him toward the kitchen. “Want some beer?”

“I’m good for right now, thanks. I want to ask you something though.” He picked up a piece of pizza and plopped it down on his paper plate. “What made you decide to do all this-for the Morrisons I mean?”

“Um, first you should probably know that once a week on my days off I bring Mr. Larson groceries so he doesn’t catch COVID. I guess the daycare call reminded me of Mr. Larson and how much fun I had finding Dusty and sneaking him into the hospital just to make him feel better.” She made her way with a plate of pizza to the couch. “Then you should know that there was a time when my mom needed some help so we stayed with my Aunt Ann for a while. During that time, my brother and I were either on the farm or at daycare because Aunt Ann also worked to provide for us. So when I realized that these sisters created a free daycare for the working moms of the neighborhood to have somewhere reliable for their kids to stay without them worrying if the bill would take away from the food, I guess I decided that it was time that they should get some help.” She took a bite of her pizza and for the second time that day, Matt was staring at her. “What? Do I have sauce on my face?”

“No, you don’t. I’m glad that I get to know you. That's all” Whether it be a friendship or a relationship he was glad. 

“We should get going so we can help Hermann set up.” She brushed off the compliment as she checked the time on her watch: 6:30 pm. “You ready?” She asked after putting the pizza in the fridge and shrugging her light pink jacket on.

Matt nodded picking up his keys as he followed her out the door. He could get used to spending the whole day with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of people are incorporating a Stellaride engagement but I have a twist that will hopefully make you laugh/smile.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and suggestions are appreciated if you want to leave any. please be nice. Chapter 2 coming soon.


End file.
